Macbook by serial number to find out information. Checking a Macbook before buying it in person

A common problem for owners of Apple products is not knowing the minimum information about their gadget (this rarely applies to iPhone owners). To find out information about the cost of repairing a device, for example, you need to know at least its model/year of manufacture. Viewing this information is not difficult and will only take a few moments.

Serial number

To find out detailed information about the serial number of the gadget, you need to:

• If you have just purchased the product or if you have kept the original packaging, then the information on it will answer all the questions that have arisen and those that have not arisen;
• To search for the serial code, find the Apple menu, look for the “About this Mac” item, then double-click on the version (method for newer versions);
• Directly depending on the model, the serial combination can be seen on the back panel of the MacBook, also in the battery connector;
• Note: when you receive a receipt for a product from some specialized Apple stores, you will notice that the serial code is also included in it (this is not always the case).

Having found out the Mac’s serial number, enter it on the page using the link: “https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do”. The page should be called “Checking eligibility for service and support”, maybe the English equivalent. So, here you must provide all the data about your gadget. There is another method that allows you to find out whether a MacBook belongs to a specific version using the serial code.

“http://support.apple.com/ru_RU/specs/” is the “Technological Specifications” page, and by entering the serial combination, you can find out the model.

Identification via model number

Using the example, we will look at the MacBook 2008-2010. release. The MacBook4.1 version can have three codes: MB402 ST /A (MB402 ST /B), MB403 ST /A, MB404 ST /A, with a configuration of 13.3″/D2.1 Ghz/2×512/120/Combo ( 13.3″/D2.1 Ghz/2×512/120/SD-DL), 13.3″/D2.4 Ghz/2×1 GB/160/SD-DL and 13.3″/D2.4 GHz/2×1 GB/250/SD-DL respectively. Next comes MacBook5.1. Numbers: MB466 ST /A, as well as MB467 ST /A with a configuration of 13.3″/D2.0 GHz/2×1 GB/160/SD-DL and 13.3″/D2.4 GHz/2×1 GB/250/SD-DL respectively. These models were released in 2008.

In 2009, the innovation was MacBook5.2: MB881 ST /A - 13.3″/D2.0 GHz/2×1 GB/120/SD-DL, also MC240 ST /A - 13.3″/2.13 /2X1 GB/160/SD. Another version was MacBook 6.1 with code MC207 ST/A, configuration 13.3″/D2.26 GHz/2×1 GB/250/SD-DL. 2010 was marked by MacBook7.1. Model number – MC516 ST /A, configuration – 13.3″/D2.4 GHz/2×1 GB/250/SD-DL.

The biggest advantage is the similarity of testing on different gadgets of Apple products. Using a similar method, you can check almost any device that has been created and demonstrated to the world over the past few years. It is worth noting that checking the back panel of a Mac or iPhone will not take even a minute, and there are a lot of benefits from it. But if you were unable to follow the instructions or you know that you will not be able to cope, we recommend that you contact consultants and other knowledgeable people.

Every year Apple technology becomes more and more popular, but the main question remains - availability, or rather the lack thereof. The brand’s products not only do not become cheaper, but sometimes even become more expensive with jumps in exchange rates. And then you begin to pay attention to the used segment.

In contact with

And buying used equipment always gives rise to fears, especially since you may never have used the Mac itself. There are a huge number of nuances that you must pay attention to when buying a computer. In this material, we will help you make a smart purchase of equipment, which will only delight you in the future.

It is so cold, fast, ideal, harmonious, inspiring... - all kinds of epithets you won’t find in advertising, journalistic reviews, and reviews from ordinary users who, for the most part, never regret buying a Mac. It's time to change your faith...

But all this is expensive, but for the first time you can get by with purchasing a used desktop or laptop from Apple. Well, let’s figure out in order what to look at, where to click and how to make the right purchase.

Let's start with the announcements

The purchase of any used equipment begins with online trading platforms (prices in the screenshot above are in Belarusian rubles). Don’t chase an ultra-cheap Mac, but be sure to select the average price tag on the market and build from there. Apple technology a priori cannot be cheap, unless it is a completely antediluvian Mac. An offer that is too sweet will most likely hide negative consequences.

They greet you by their clothes...

Tolerance to certain scratches, dents and other body defects is everyone’s business. Personally, I believe that desktop Macs (iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro) should not have any external flaws. As for mobile equipment, scratches are allowed. Dents on the corners, and in other places, are a reason to think about it.

When purchasing a MacBook, be very careful about the cover. It should open with one finger (a proprietary feature, after all). Plays, rattles and squeaks when opening and closing can lead to expensive repairs. It is possible to tighten the bolts or replace the entire display module. Repairing a Mac is much more expensive than any other equipment.

Be sure to inspect the screws on the back of your Mac. Through them, access to the computer hardware is provided.

Apple uses proprietary Pentanoble screws, so traces of collective farm repairs without special tools will be immediately visible.

The availability of documents and the completeness of the Mac is everyone's business. At a minimum, a power adapter for a MacBook must be in good condition.

Otherwise, either reduce the price or refuse. The most powerful adapter for MacBook Pro with Retina screen will cost 6,490 rubles.

Ideally, the entire set should be included with a receipt for the purchase. Be sure to check the approximate date of purchase in advance.

Let's launch...

Old Macs with HDD start up on average in 30-50 seconds. Computers with SSDs on board show much better results - 10-15 seconds. If the hardware takes much longer to start up, then most likely the condition of the drive leaves much to be desired.

No passwords should appear upon startup. If there is a custom one, we ask the owner to disable it. Read about this below.

Run the second time with the key pressed D (Option (⌥) + D- through the Internet). The Apple Hardware Test will launch, thanks to which you can determine the condition of the hardware and identify errors. We wrote more about this in.

What to check on a running Mac?

Linking to iCloud and administrator password

First and most importantly, the Mac must be deauthorized from the iCloud account. This great thing allows you to remotely lock a lost computer (similar to Find My iPhone). If the owner cannot do this, then the computer has a bad past. Please clarify this point immediately by phone so as not to waste your time.

Open menu  → System Preferences… → iCloud. If the computer is authorized in iCloud, click the " Go out" and ask the owner to enter the password. Must have active Internet access.

The password for the administrator account can be changed by going to  → System settings… → Users and groups.

Press lock and enter your password. Then click on the button “ Change password».

General information about Mac

Download some useful utilities to a flash drive in advance and use them to check the condition of your Mac.

Thanks to the app Mactracker(free) you can use the Mac serial number to find out the exact version of the model, the date of purchase and the expiration date of the warranty (if it still exists).

Checking SSD/HDD

DriveDX ($24.99) will help you assess the condition of the drive or hard drive on board your Mac.

After installation, make sure all stripes are green.

Battery check

A must when purchasing a MacBook. Replacing the battery will also cost a pretty penny. And not every buyer knows that the number of recharge cycles for MacBook batteries is limited.

Open menu  → About This Mac → Overview tab → System Report…

Modern MacBook batteries last 1000 cycles.

There is also a good utility for checking the battery, CoconutBattery (free).

Read more about checking the battery.

What else to watch?

Display

Launch any application or image with a white background, and then turn the brightness to maximum. This way you can easily spot dead pixels. Repeat the procedure with red, green, blue and black colors. Better yet, install Screen Utility (free) or its analogues to simplify checking.

Video card

The surest way to check a video card is to run heavy videos or games. If something goes wrong, everything will be obvious.

Keyboard

The keyboard block is checked very simply - launch any text editor (for example, standard TextEdit) and check each key for the quality of its movement. The keys should be pressed clearly, without effort or jamming. Buttons easily fail due to moisture.

Trackpad

The touchpad should have no dead zones. Don't forget to check the touch button (it is pressed across the entire surface of the trackpad with the exception of a horizontal strip 1 centimeter high from the top edge).

Other

Many people forget to test the operation of wired (USB, Thunderbolt, card reader) and wireless modules (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi). Pay attention to the charging port (connect to the network. The orange diode on the plug lights up. When charging is complete, it turns green) and the speakers.

Finally

As you can see, the Mac verification process is quite long and painstaking. But this is the only way you can purchase a quality product on the secondary market, without fear that you may be scammed. If possible, call your friends who work with Mac or buy new equipment. In turn, a well-chosen used Mac can save a lot of money on your budget.

It can be difficult to remember which model of MacBook you have, given that Apple doesn't clearly name them. Maybe your car is from mid-2010 or early 2011? What type of processor is installed? Is it possible to upgrade the RAM?

Luckily, it's very easy to view the basic specs of your Mac in OS X, and here's how to do it.

Processor, memory and operating system.

To find the main characteristics of your Mac, click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen. From the drop-down menu, select About This Mac to open the System Information window.

The System Information window will show you an overview of your system, including the version of OS X you're running, model, processor, installed memory (RAM), graphics card, and serial number.

For more information about memory, go to the "Memory" tab. Here you'll see how many memory slots your system has, how many are in use, and how much RAM is installed in each slot.

Video card.

To find your graphics card, simply look at the system overview in the System Information window, it will list your graphics card type under the Graphics heading. If you want to learn more about your graphics card, click on "System Report..." in the lower left corner of the System Information overview screen. A new window will open with an overview of the hardware installed on the computer.

In the new window, under "Hardware", click on "Graphics/Monitors". Here you'll be able to see more detailed information about your graphics card, including how much dedicated memory (VRAM) it has. You will also be able to see information about your monitor, such as type, resolution and pixel depth.

Storage devices.

To find out what type of storage devices are installed, go to the Storage tab in the System Information window. On the left side of the screen you will see a visual representation of your drives, and on the right side of the screen information about each of them.

For HDDs and SSDs, you'll see a colored bar that shows storage usage by file type (music, movies, apps, photos, etc.). The numbers above this line will indicate how much free space is available to you on this disk.

Any device that was released by the American company Apple can be verified using a unique code assigned at the time of manufacture and its entire history can be found out. This feature can be very useful for those who want more. For example, the verification procedure will be relevant when purchasing a Macbook secondhand. Let's figure out how to check a macbook by serial number and what needs to be done for this.

Stages

To ensure you get all the information you need, follow these steps step by step:

• Find out your Macbook serial number;

• Go to the official website in a special section and paste the code;

• Get information.

Let's look at each step in more detail.

There are several ways to obtain a unique code assigned to each computer model from the factory.

• Click the apple icon and select About This Mac. Here you will see a line with the serial number;
• In addition, you can use the System Information utility. Under About This Mac, click the Learn More button. Next, from the menu on the left side of the window, select “Hardware”. In the right half, find the line with the desired combination of characters and numbers.

Now you need to check the serial number of your macbook pro or air. Let's look at it step by step.

Third Party Resources

It is highly recommended not to check on third-party sites. You can find a number of links on the Internet that offer similar services. However, the device information you enter may work against you. Not all such sites belong to scammers, but it is advisable to protect yourself from the risk.

Therefore, open the link checkcoverage.apple.com/ru/ru. Enter Serial number in the only field. Next, enter the numbers from the picture for confirmation and click the “continue” button. A page with information about your computer will appear on the screen. Now you know how a MacBook is scanned.